I understand that some of you believe Alicia Vikander became a hero this weekend. In Tomb Raider, Vikander jumps, runs, bikes, fights, and yes, raids tombs with an inspirational kind of derring-do. The Academy Award winner is now Lara Croft. She is a “superhero,” and not just a period drama stand out.

Here’s the problem with that: I don’t care how many tombs Alicia Vikander raids, she will never be more heroic than she was in the 2012 period romance, A Royal Affair.

A Royal Affair is an under-watched gem about a real-life romance between an intellectual Danish queen and her husband’s best friend, a renegade physician with liberal leanings. Director Nikolaj Arcel stages the story from Vikander’s character’s point-of-view. We see Caroline Matilda leave her home in England full of hope and excitement for her future as the Queen of Denmark. However, as soon as she arrives there, she discovers that the handsome young king, Christian VII, is not only horrifically jealous of her talent, beauty, and wits, but he’s also mentally ill in a time ill-equipped to deal with it.

The marriage is on the rocks and Christian is unhinged. That is, until help arrives from a surprising place: a German doctor named Struensee (Mads Mikkelsen). Strunsee is a student of the Enlightenment and because of that, he not only has more empathetic ideas about how to deal with Christian’s moods, but he is a kindred spirit to Caroline Matilda. Naturally, since this movie is called “A Royal Affair,” Caroline Matilda and Struensee embark on a royal affair. What comes next is where the “heroism” comes in.

Other doomed period romances are just about the fates of the lovers, and those wounded by the illicit affair. In A Royal Affair, the romance becomes a vehicle for change. Caroline Matilda and Struensee team up to push Christian to pass reforms to help the poor. They allow free speech, ban torture, and limit the power of the aristocracy. Their biggest and most radical move? To not only vaccinate the Danish heir against smallpox, but to make it available to everyone. Their efforts, though challenged, help save a generation from the deadly disease.

While this is treated as merely one episode in the overall story, I still think about the raw courage Vikander displayed as an actress in these scenes. She’s terrified for the life of her baby son, but she draws strength from that anguish. She fights for her convictions and later risks, well, literally death, to try to stage a shadow coup for the greater good.

When we talk about power struggles, we often don’t ask why someone wants to be on the throne. It’s assumed they just want the rush of power, and nothing else. But Caroline Matilda uses power as a tool to make life better for others. Maybe you don’t agree with her politics, but you can’t argue with the altruism of her intent.

Why is this heroism? So often we think of heroics in terms of physical feats of strength. But being a hero isn’t about rushing into danger or raiding tombs. It’s not even about being a great warrior or unflinching in the face of your worst fears. Heroism is doing everything you can to help others. Because of that, Vikander’s character in A Royal Affair is heroism incarnate to me. She doesn’t seek power for herself, but to make life better for everyone around her.